Employees’ gender as a moderator for the Effect of Kaizen on Their Engagement in the Manufacturing Industries of Kombolacha City Administration, Ethiopia

Despite the growing adoption of Kaizen as a continuous improvement approach in manufacturing organizations, limited empirical evidence explains how Kaizen practices are associated with employee work engagement and whether this relationship differs by gender in the Ethiopian manufacturing context. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between Kaizen five S practices and employee work engagement and determined whether gender moderates this relationship in manufacturing firms in Kombolcha City Administration, Ethiopia. A quantitative correlational research design was employed, and data were collected from 344 employees selected using systematic random sampling. Descriptive statistics, one-sample t-tests, correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and structural equation modeling were used to assess the relationship between Kaizen implementation and employee work engagement. The findings indicated relatively high levels of both Kaizen implementation and employee work engagement. Kaizen practices were positively and significantly associated with employee work engagement, with correlation coefficients ranging from 0.246 to 0.726. Furthermore, gender significantly moderated the relationship between Kaizen practices and employee work engagement (β = 0.061, p = 0.029), indicating that the strength of the relationship varied across gender groups. The findings suggest that manufacturing firms should strengthen Kaizen implementation while recognizing gender-related differences in employees’ responses to continuous improvement practices. Leaders should adopt inclusive and gender-responsive approaches to employee participation, communication, recognition, and support in Kaizen activities to enhance work engagement. The study demonstrates that gender is a relevant contextual factor in understanding the relationship between Kaizen practices and employee work engagement in the Ethiopian manufacturing sector. Keywords: employee engagement, gender, Kaizen practice, Kombolcha City Administration, manufacturing firm